Google

This is a digital copy of a book that was preserved for generations on library shelves before it was carefully scanned by Google as part of a project

to make the world's books discoverable online.

It has survived long enough for the copyright to expire and the book to enter the public domain. A public domain book is one that was never subject

to copyright or whose legal copyright term has expired. Whether a book is in the public domain may vary country to country. Public domain books

are our gateways to the past, representing a wealth of history, culture and knowledge that's often difficult to discover.

Marks, notations and other maiginalia present in the original volume will appear in this file - a reminder of this book's long journey from the

publisher to a library and finally to you.

Usage guidelines

Google is proud to partner with libraries to digitize public domain materials and make them widely accessible. Public domain books belong to the
public and we are merely their custodians. Nevertheless, this work is expensive, so in order to keep providing tliis resource, we liave taken steps to
prevent abuse by commercial parties, including placing technical restrictions on automated querying.
We also ask that you:

+ Make non-commercial use of the files We designed Google Book Search for use by individuals, and we request that you use these files for
personal, non-commercial purposes.

+ Refrain fivm automated querying Do not send automated queries of any sort to Google's system: If you are conducting research on machine
translation, optical character recognition or other areas where access to a large amount of text is helpful, please contact us. We encourage the
use of public domain materials for these purposes and may be able to help.

+ Maintain attributionTht GoogXt "watermark" you see on each file is essential for in forming people about this project and helping them find
additional materials through Google Book Search. Please do not remove it.

+ Keep it legal Whatever your use, remember that you are responsible for ensuring that what you are doing is legal. Do not assume that just
because we believe a book is in the public domain for users in the United States, that the work is also in the public domain for users in other
countries. Whether a book is still in copyright varies from country to country, and we can't offer guidance on whether any specific use of
any specific book is allowed. Please do not assume that a book's appearance in Google Book Search means it can be used in any manner
anywhere in the world. Copyright infringement liabili^ can be quite severe.

About Google Book Search

Google's mission is to organize the world's information and to make it universally accessible and useful. Google Book Search helps readers
discover the world's books while helping authors and publishers reach new audiences. You can search through the full text of this book on the web

at |http: //books .google .com/I

B

94-5
.CZ5

^^^^^^^^H

1^^

THE

P

5 PHILOSOPHER'S

r

MARTYRDOM

1

A SATIRE

By PAUL CARUS

(LA^uyt^ ■ h

^c

^t/V^K?

4

The

Philosopher's Martyrdom

A Satire

By

Paul Carus

Chicago
The Open Court Publishing Co.

London : Kegan Paal, Trench, Txilbner & Co., Ltd.

1907

Copyright by
The Open Court Publishing Co.

1907.

i_-

CONTENTS :

PAGE

Preface iii

The Philosophers' Club i

Mr. Agnosco's Ethics 12

At Home 21

The Seance 27

Adjourned sine die 36

The Greatest Number 43

The Temptation 50

Further Developments 58

Faithful to the End , 65

.>

PREFACE.

A GNOSTICISM is the philosophy of the
xVpresent age, which is a period of transi-
tion, and being such it will prove transient. I
do not deny that there is a certain truth under-
lying the principle of agnosticism, otherwise
it could never have gained the influence which
it exercises over so many thinking minds, but
this underlying truth has never been pointed
out by any agnostic thinker, least of all by
their chief, Mr. Herbert Spencer, — not even
by Mr. Huxley whose high rank as a scientist
no one will doubt. I do not deny the many
excellent qualities by which Mr. Spencer,
the representative of agnosticism, is distin-
guished, but leaving out all personal matters,
I insist at the same time that agnosticism
witfi all that it implies acts upon the mind as
does a blight upon our wheat fields.

Agnosticism is a declaration of bankruptcy
in philosophy, it acts as a brake upon the
wheels of the advancement of scientific prob-
lems (note for instance Mr. Spencer^s declara-

iv THE philosopher's MARTYRDOM.

tion that any investigation of the origin of
organic life must be useless ! ) and it proposes
an utterly wrong maxim of ethics. In fact it
destroys the very principle of morality by re-
placing it with the pursuit of happiness, and
even with its principle of happiness it does not
propose to establish a qualitative but a quanti-
tative appreciation of happiness, as if the
nature of goodness could ever consist in num-
bers ! If the qualitative appreciation of happi-
ness had been thought of it would have shown
that not happiness is desirable but a certain
quality of happiness which would have led back
to the old-fashioned ideal of duty ; and instead
of tearing down the ideal of duty, a progressive
philosophy would simply have revised our
standard of valuation, our ideal of goodness,
our conception of worthiness, and the aims. of
a worthy life.

Hedonism in any form is practically denial
of all morality. Bentham's egotistical hedon-
ism is immoral but logical. Mr. Spencer's
hedonism, aiming at the greatest happiness of
the greatest number, is illogical without there-
by becoming moral. Why shall I sacrifice my
happiness for the happiness of others, be they
few or many ? And suppose the majority to
be villains, what then ? Was it truly right
that Socrates should drink the cup of hemlock,

PREFACE. V

because such was the pleasure of five hundred
judges in Athens which at that time was guided
by infamous and thoughtless rascals? No!
and a hundred times no !

The question of right conduct lies deeper
than our agnostic friends assume. The prob-
lem of moral goodness is closely connected
with our conception of the nature of truth.
Principles of moral conduct always reflect our
view of life ; they are a practical application of
our world-conception. We believe in the pos-
sibility of truth and the usefulness of science.
We reject most emphatically the philosophy
of nescience. Problems can be stated and
solved, and the correct solution of a problem is
not merely an opinion that has gained cur-
rency but truth, i. e., a statement which is an
adequate description of facts ; and truth is pos-
sible, truth is not a mere subjective illusion.

Would the product of any calculation be-
come right because it was the result of a
majority of school boys, — or even of learned
scholars ? No, and a hundred times no I

We can not always change qualities into mere
quantities, nor substitute pleasure and happi-
ness for goodness, nor measure truth by major-
ity decisions.

The present story is a tale with a moral.
The story is humorous but the lesson is serious.

vi THE philosopher's martyrdom.

It is a satire ) whicli has been written to point
out the fallacies of agfnosticism, and it indi-
cates that a better philosophy is possible.
How the author wishes that the hints here

given may be taken to heart 1

p. c.

'\

THE PHILOSOPHERS* CLUB.

SOME YEARS ago a philosophical interest
was awakened in America. People began
to stndy philosophy with a zeal characteristic
of all the enterprises of the western world, and
philosophical clnbs were established all over
the land.

At last the climax of civilization had been
reached, for philosophy stood for the sum-total
of all wisdom. Every little town had to have
a philosophical club. There had been literary
clubs, sociological and political clubs, anthro-
pological clubs, art clubs, theatrical clubs,
Delsarte clubs, and all kinds of clubs, but a
philosophical club was something entirely new,
and so there was some difficulty in starting it.
In the old-fashioned clubs there was always
something tangible. The members collected
Indian arrowheads, or Chinese crockery, or
they posed in pathetic attitudes and discussed
principles of esthetics. But philosophy was
so intangible and abstract, that it would not
lend itself easily as a fit object for the interest

2 THE philosopher's martyrdom.

of fashionable society. This difficulty how-
ever only added a peculiar zest to the new fad
and the leaders of the movement knew how to
deal with it. They got hold of a few musty
generalities mainly such as had a slight crack
in them. As cracked china is always more
valuable when it is old, why should not a phil-
osophical idea, in the same predicament, also
be more valuable ? But, of course, it must, at
first sight, be pathetic, overawing, and impos-
ing — something sublime beyond the compre-
hension of any ordinary mortal, and, if possible,
something actually unthinkable.

Thus the movement was started and resulted
in a philosophical epidemic which thrilled all
the people who caught the infection like a fever.
They walked as in a dream. They regarded
themselves as torch bearers of a great idea, and
the establishment of philosophical clubs cre-
ated at once an intellectual aristocracy. No
wonder that the craze swept with rapidity
over the whole country and extended also be-
yond the Atlantic to England and to the Anglo-
American colonies on the European continent.

In one of the large capitals in Europe a phil-
osophical club was founded, the president and
leader of which was Mr. Charles Green, the son
of an American father and a French mother.

Mr. Charles Green opened the first meeting

THE philosophers' CLUB. 3

of the new club with a reading from Mr. Her-
bert Spencer's First Principles. He expounded
them brilliantly. No divine ever explained the
Bible better than he set forth the unfathomable
depths of the prophet of a new dispensation.
He read repeatedly the concluding words, as
though he wanted his audience to memorize
them . * * Here , then , " he emphasized , * * is an
ultimate religious truth of the highest possible
certainty — a truth in which religions in gene-
ral are at one with each other, and with a phil-
osophy antagonistic to their especial dogmas.
And this truth, respecting which there is a
latent agreement among all mankind from the
fetish-worshiper to the most stoical critic of
human creeds, must be the one we seek— the
Power which the universe manifests to us is
utterly inscrutable."

The speaker dwelt on the fact that the deepest
wisdom lies in ignorance. A philosopher is he
who is not ashamed to confess his ignorance
in plain terms. **Why, then, my friends,"
he said, ** Why not confess our ignorance ? Is
it so diflScult to part with the vain idea that we
know something? No, it is not. On the con-
trary, it is a very pleasant idea, for we know
that all knowledge is vanity. Consider only
that the greatest scientist who has plodded
through a whole life to find the truth, and has

4 THE philosopher's MARTYRDOM.

accumulated an enormous stock of knowledge,
isy after all) a shallow ignoramus. His knowl-
edge is not philosophical knowledge. It is
good enough so far as it goesy but it is of an
inferior kind. The wiseacre of a specialist
makes petty discriminations but is unable to
appreciate the importance of generalization.
And the most universal of all generalizations
to which a philosopher only can attain, is the
truth that the world-mystery is transcendent ;
and it is not a relative, but an absolute, mys-
tery. I plead with you to throw off all the
vanity of pretended knowledge, and the hope
that science can accomplish anything worth
mentioning, for nothing can replace the grand
revelation of our eternal, irredeemable igno-
rance. Throw off all false pride ; turn philos-
ophers, and let us commemorate this memor-
able day on which we started this glorious
philosophical movement, as the day of our
second birth."

Here he assumed a dramatic attitude that
he had inherited from his French mother.
** Let us celebrate," he continued, ** this great
event, by turning over a new leaf, and pledge
ourselves to become and to remain philoso-
phers forever ; to live and die philosophers,
adopting the great truth of agnosticism. I
shall, in this holy hour, change my name and

THE philosophers' CLUB. 5

call myself Ernest Agnosco — ^Ernest, in order
to denote that I am serious in becoming a phi-
losopher, and Agnosco, to express my reverence
for the greatest of all truths and the most
general of all generalizations. My creed be
henceforth that there is no wisdom except in
an unfeigned confession of ignorance."

The members of the club were carried away
with Mr. Green's eloquence, and they praised
his truly Socratic wisdom. Several resolutions
were made in the spirit of his address, and all
of them were adopted.

The motions might have been passed unan-
imously, if it had not been for one single
exception. One of the members, M. Fran9ois
Chevalier, was of a sarcastic turn of mind. He
was the jarring element in that glorious meet-
ing, a kind of Mephisto, and many thought it
a pity that he had joined the club. We are
impartial enough to say that it was well he
joined, for difference of opinion is the salt of
life and even in things evil there is something
good.

Monsieur Chevalier sneered at the idea that
a philosophy of nescience could accomplish
anything useful, and he proposed the imperti-
nent question, how Mr. Green — alias Mr.
Agnosco — could manage to live according to
his principle. Monsieur Chevalier confessed

6 THE PHII^OSOPHER'S MARTYRDOM.

that we knew very little, but what little knowl-
edge we had was the basis of our conduct, of
our achievements in practical life, and of our
ethics. Philosophy, if it is to be of any pur-
pose at all, must be applicable to practical life.

Monsieur Chevalier's opposition created a
sensation, and it almost threatened to bring
about a schism. Not that any one agreed with
him, but they differed among themselves in
refuting his proposition. Some thought that
philosophy was not to be applied to practical
life. Philosophy is too grand, too sublime.
Others declared that philosophy afforded all
that could be desired, for it lifted the members
of the philosophical club at once above the
mediocrity of mankind, and opened a field of
vision from the height of the largest of all
generalizations .

There was among the members of the club
a stumpy young man of Dutch extraction
whose name was Thomas Driest. His lively
little eyes, deep-socketed underneath a large
and bony forehead, had been riveted with keen
interest upon each successive speaker, and now
that he rose to his feet he betrayed an unusual
fanaticism. He almost quivered with impa-
tience as though he could no longer control
the passionate outburst of his conviction. He
addressed Monsieur Chevalier personally and

THE philosophers' CLUB. 7

said * * By way of introduction I will state at
once. Monsieur, that I am a socialist."

** Thank you for the information," replied
Monsieur Chevalier. * ' It means that whatever
business, profession or trade you may have
embraced you made a failure of it."

** Say rather," retorted the stumpy young
man with a flash in his eye directed at his
opponent, **that I belong to the large mass of
the discontented and my profession is that of
a reformer. Most assuredly there is something
wrong with the social order which is cunningly
arranged so as to favor the unscrupulous and
drive the good and the honest to the wall. All
your boasted Universities and institutions of
learning are in the paid service of capital.
They obscure the real issue of a just distribu-
tion of the products of labor and thrash out the
straw of hollow theories. I challenge our phi-
losophers," he shouted at the top of his voice,
* * to drop all quibbles of metaphysics and re-
spond first to the demand of the people. I hail
agnosticism as a relief from tyranny of the
schools, for it disposes of all philosophy in a
most direct and summary fashion."

Turning again to Monsieur Chevalier, he
asked whether he had ever heard of Socrates
who was deemed wise because he owned he
was ignorant. Nor was this grand philosophy

8 THE PHII^OSOPHER^S MARTYRDOM.

of nescience withont its practical application.
He should remember the bequest of the great
Voltaire, which was condensed in the words
kcrasez Ptnfamef The old gnosticism had
been in power long enough. It had built
cathedrals and established thrones, but the age
of agnosticism was now dawning upon man-
kind. ** Here lies the practical application of
agnosticism ' ' shouted Monsieur Driest, wildly
gesticulating with his arm, as if he wanted to
assault Monsieur Chevalier, * * Agnosticism
will tear down the pretensions of priest and
prophe^ They talk about things such as God,
the soul, and immortality, of which no one
knows anything, of which no one can know
anything. They are frauds I and remember
Voltaire's advice Scrasez rinfamer^

Monsieur Chevalier replied calmly, **If no
one can know, how is it possible for you to
know that the priests are wrong? It seems to
me agnosticism will furnish the best support
for any superstition because in the realm of the
unknowable all theories are equally admis-
sible.''

**OhoI " cried Monsieur Driest, ** You are
a reactionary and a defender of superstition.
Mind you that gnostics claim to know, while
agnostics freely own their ignorance. Gnostics

THE PHII.OSOPHKRS' CLUB. 9

are false pretenders, agnostics in their confes-
sion of ignorance are genuine/*

Monsieur Chevalier forgetful of all parlia-
mentary order, laughed heartily, ** Yes,*' he
said, *4f their ignorance be genuine.*'

Here was a lull in the debate, for Monsieur
Driest felt that his adversary had made a thrust
at him, but he was not quick enough to under-
stand its meaning. Monsieur Chevalier then
added in a semi-conversational tone, ** Mon-
sieur Driest* s reference to Socrates reminds
me of Schiller's distich,

**Pythia dubbed him a sage,
When of ignorance boldly he boasted.
Friend, how much wiser art thou f
What he pretended, thou art. "

Monsieur Driest was boiling with indigna-
tion and Mr. Agnosco resented the unparlia-
mentary remark, but Monsieur Chevalier
assured him that his quip was harmless and
should not be taken as personal. This expla-
nation was given in a gentlemanly way and
with so much courtesy that Monsieur Driest
calmed down and took his place again.

At this juncture Mr. Agnosco noticed the
presence of Professor Le Clair, of the Sor-
bonne, and called upon him for his views. The
Professor, however, declined to commit him-
self saying that he did not intend to join the

10 THE philosopher's MARTYRDOM.

club, for he believed in the cultivation of sci-
ence. He knew that there was also nescience,
and he himself had plenty of it ; but for his
own part he tried to get rid of his share, and
so his philosophy could only be a philosophy
of science, not of nescience; it should be a
general survey of all the sciences, especially
an explanation of knowledge itself and the
methods pursued in scientific enquiry.

No one contradicted and no one assented,
and all discussion ceased for the time.

Mr. Agnosco took the word once more and
declared that many good ideas had been uttered
by all the speakers. Although he disapproved
of the attitude of his friend Monsieur Chevalier,
he felt under obligations to him for some sug-
gestions. He had to confess in all sincerity
that there was an inkling of truth in his re-
marks concerning the applicability of philo-
sophical truth. Philosophy must become prac-
tical, and he himself meant to apply philosophy
to practical life. **But,*' said he, *4n the
enthusiasm for the great cause we have for-
gotten the limit that time imposes upon all
finite beings.'* And so he suggested that a
motion to adjourn was in order, proposing at
the same time to study in the next session, the
ethics of agnosticism. **The best boot on the
subject," he added, *Ss Mr. Spencer's Data

%

THE philosophers' CLUB. 11

of Ethics. A perusal of this great work will
teach us that agnosticism is in possession of
ethics. As yet men of science are, at best,
only very superficially acquainted with philos-
ophy, and with the grand conclusion to which
its arguments lead."

MR. AGNOSCO^S ETHICS.

SEVERAL sessions were devoted to the
study of Mr. Spencer's ethical system.
Monsieur Chevalier made many objections but
they were set aside, and he was told to wait
until they had gone over the whole work.

A special meeting was devoted to a discus-
sion of the ethics of agnosticism. Professor
Le Clair was among the invited guests and
Monsieur Chevalier read a paper. He dwelt
on the idea that Mr. Spencer's great principle
of **the greatest happiness for the greatest
number ' ' could not be derived from the maxim
of a general nescience concerning the world-
problem. The philosophy of evolution should
teach an ethics of evolution ; and the ethics of
evolution does not so much teach us to aspire
for happiness, either of self or of others, as,
without shunning pain or seeking pleasures,
to become strong so as to be fit for survival.
He said, ** I, for one, do not think it a sin to
enjoy myself ; but if I act with that end in view
or to promote my own happiness and that of

MR. AGNOSCO^S ETHICS. 13

Other people, I do not pretend to be ethical.
I think, too, that it is very pleasant to do some-
thing for the enjoyment of others, bnt I do not
relish the idea that a man, depriving himself
of comforts to provide for the pleasures of
others, should be regarded as obeying the
moral law. If it were so, giving a ball, or
gathering one's friends for merry-making and
carousals, would be a highly commendable and
praiseworthy act. I believe that immorality
if pursued long enough will always lead, if not
to unhappiness, most certainly to ruin. For
immorality, in my opinion, is that which dis-
agrees with the world-order. Immorality is
that which makes a creature unfit to exist.
Morality is that which fits us for life; but
pleasureableness is not a criterion by which
we learn to discriminate between good and evil.
Does not our happiness vary with our temper?
Shall we have as many different kinds of
morality as we have kinds of happiness ? ' '

The speaker was severely criticised, and
attempts at refutation were made in different
ways; though most of them appeared more
like writhing under strokes that had hit a vital
spot, and only one of the debators was able to
boast of having spoken to the point. This was
Monsieur Driest, who insisted that the contents
of life were feelings, and that pleasurable feel-

14 THE philosopher's MARTYRDOM.

ings were desirable, and unpleasurable feelings
undesirable. ** We want the former, and the
more of them, the better. We shun pain and
we have a right to do so."

At this moment a priest who had so far re-
mained unnoticed, rose from a seat in the last
row of the audience. Mr. Agnosco recognized
in him a well-known clergyman, in fact one to
whose congregation his French relatives be-
longed. He was introduced as Father Jerome
and he said :

** This young man has obviously little ex-
perience. Had he seen more of life he would
know that pleasures are not always desirable.
Far from being the purpose of life, pleasures
are its dangers, and it is the duty of every
educator to warn the inexperienced against the
perils of the sweets of life."

Professor Le Clair was now called upon but
he refused to take part in the discussion before
the nature of pleasure and pain had been
clearly defined. Mr. Agnosco replied at once :
**That is scarcely necessary. According to
the great Kant, pleasure is a feeling that in-
dicates growth, while pain indicates decay."

The Professor remonstrated : * * Pardon me
sir, but this interpretation of the nature of
pleasure and pain is a gross error. Growth
frequently causes pain and there are cases of

MR. AGNOSCO'S ETHICS. 15

decay accompanied by pleasure. It is irue
that pain is caused by disturbances such as the
laceration of tissue, and so whenever growth
causes a disturbance, it will be painful. Pleas-
ure," he added, **is a more complicated phe-
nomenon, but I might briefly say that pleasure
is felt at the satisfaction of a want."

Not wishing to let the discussion be switched
off, Mr. Agnosco interrupted the speaker by
saying that pleasure and pain are ultimate
facts, and that that ought to sufl&ce for the pres-
ent purpose.

Professor Le Clair, however, was not so
easily silenced. He continued his opposition
sapng: **Even if that were true, you must
grant that the tastes of people differ. What
is a pleasure to one is an abomination to others.
Accordingly pleasure can never be either a
guide in ethics or a standard of morality. The
question of the ethicist can not be * What will
give most pleasure to most people? ' but * What
ought to give pleasure to the people? ' Morality
remains after all a question of the ought."

Mr. Agnosco was on the verge of losing his
patience but he quickly collected himself and
proved to be master of the situation. He
proved, with great adroitness, that whenever
we did not know, we were at liberty to act as
we please. The old gnostics of religious rev-

16 THE philosopher's MARTYRDOM.

elations pretended to know much and told us
many things that we ought to do. Thus, he
declared with emphasis, the negative knowl-
edge of agnosticism has some positive value.
Philosophy comes as a liberator from any pre-
tended or false knowledge. It shows that we
know nothing, and that we can know nothing ;
that all the vainglorious gnosis of preacher and
priest is at best guesswork, and mostly even
fraud. We know nothing of any moral author-
ity whom we have to obey. Accordingly, we
can act at our pleasure. Pleasure is good in
itself, and we have only to avoid those special
forms of enjoyment which do others harm.
And this leads to the great generalization of
making the greatest possible amount of pleas-
ure of the greatest number the criterion of
goodness. Monsieur Chevalier, he added,
showed in this session not only a lack of logic,
but also of republican principles.

Mr. Agnosco was a zealous republican, and
was a member of the Chamber of Deputies,
where he was one of the severest critics and
opponents of the imperial government. Mon-
sieur Chevalier was a republican also, but as
Mr. Agnosco expressed it, **only in name" ;
for Monsieur Chevalier did not see that right
or wrong could be decided only by a majority
ote. He would apparently deprive the people

MR. AGNOSCO'S ETHICS. 17

of their privilege of making their will the su-
preme sovereign of all government. Nor could
Monsieur Chevalier understand, on the suppo-
sition of pleasure being the criterion of ethics,
how any one could be obliged to sacrifice his
own pleasures for the pleasures of the majority,

*^ Granting, ^^ he continued, *^that pleasure
is good in itself — ^that it is the thing to be de-
sired as the highest good, I do not see how,
by the common rules of logic, you can prove
to me that I ought to sacrifice my pleasures
for the majority. Tell me plainly, why shall
we submit to their dictates? "

Here Monsieur Driest joined in the debate.
He replied quickly and sharply, **Our fellow
beings are sentient beings exactly as much as
we ourselves, and we have to respect their sen-
timents.^'

** Well, then," retorted Monsieur Chevalier,
* * do you mean to make sentiment the ultimate
test of approval, so that whenever the greatest
amount of pleasurable feeling results from an
action, such action is right? and that alone is
to be considered good? "

**Yes," replied Monsieur Driest, '*I do
mean to say that. ' '

*' I have a farm in the country, '^ said Mon-
sieur Chevalier, and I raise sheep. Do you
suppose the shepherd's actions should be reg-

18 THE PHILOSOPHER'S MARTYRDOM.

ulated by a majority vote of the living and
feeling beings around him? The sheep are
just as much living and feeling beings as you
and I and the shepherd are. The sheep can-
not speak, but we have sufl&cient means of
knowing what their pleasure is, and it is cer-
tain that they would object to being slaugh-
tered and eaten, perhaps also to giving up
their wool, and there are more sheep than men
on the farm. The same is true of all cattle,
and it is most likely that there are more brutes
living in the whole world than men. Should
the conduct of human society be regulated by
that which we know would be the pleasure of
the majority of living and feeling beings on
the earth?''

Mr. Agnosco denounced these arguments as
trifling with a serious subject, and declared
that as a matter of course, a limit ought to be
drawn somewhere; and he meant to draw it
between the sentiments of rational and irra-
tional beings.

* * That is a valuable concession, ' ' interrupted
Monsieur Chevalier. ^ ' If the criterion of ethics
shall be found in the sentiments of rational
beings only, why not express the idea thus :
that rationality shall be one of the marks by
which we recognize a moral act? And, to be
sure, rationality could not be decided by a

MR. AGNOSCO'S ETHICS. 19

majority vote. We might as well accept or
reject the Pythagorean theory according as it
pleases or displeases the majority."

Mr. Agnosco resented the sarcastic tone of
Monsieur Chevalier^s arguments. **We are
little helped," he said, ^*by witty remarks
which have no bearing on the question. They
deserve no answer; but, for the sake of the
audience, I am willing to respond to these que-
ries. The greatest number of rational beings
means the greatest number of men. They
have a right to enforce their will, although it
should conflict as little as possible with the
interests of the minority. But, wherever a
collision is unavoidable, it must be regarded
as the minor evil, and the minority, if need be,
must make this sacrifice to the common wel-
fare."

** Exactly so," interrupted Monsieur Che-
valier. "It is necessary to bring sacrifices
for the common welfare, but I deny that the
pleasure of the majority constitutes the com-
mon welfare. The will of the majority has
nothing to do either with morality or with right
or truth. Suppose we make a calculation, and
I do it correctly, while you all make the same
blunder, will you maintain that my calculation
is wrong because you constitute a majority?
No, whatever you may say to the contrary,

20 THE philosopher's martyrdom.

there is something else besides the amount of
pleasure that makes things true and untrue,
right and wrong, moral and immoral. One
man may be right in the face of the whole
world ; and that action may be wrong which
pleases the majority of all.''

It was shown to Monsieur Chevalier that it
was very unlikely that all would make exactly
the same mistake. It was granted, that any-
body was liable to make mistakes, but the mis-
takes of many counterbalance and correct one
another, so that the right would in the end
necessarily result.

A vote was taken at the end of the discussion
in order to decide which was the correct prin-
ciple of ethics, and the maxim of the greatest
happiness for the greatest number was adopted
by an overwhelming majority vote.

Mr. Agnosco, after this glorious session,
congratulated the club on its grand success,
and proposed that the members pledge them-
selves to live according to the maxim they had
so enthusiastically ' endorsed. He himself
solemnly vowed that he would never fail to do
his ethical duty, and be obedient to the behests
of morality, his ideal being the greatest happi-
ness of the greatest number of the society of
human beings in which he lived.

AT HOME.

6 6 T T O W pleasant is the lot of an agnostic 1
X XHe has made his peace with all the
world, for he grants the truth common to all,
the orthodox believer and the infidel free-
thinker, the spiritualist and the materialist;
the scientist and the man of practical life.**

Such were the thoughts of Mr. Agnosco
when he surveyed with great satisfaction the
numerous guests that were gathering for an
* * at home * ' to which they had been invited in
his palatial home. The honors of the house
were performed by the Madame de Beauchamp
and Miss Green, the host's sisters, who were
assisted in their task by Mademoiselle de Beau-
champ, Mr. Agnosco 's niece and presumably
heiress to his fortune.

Mr. Agnosco was a great advocate of mar-
riage which he considered a duty to be per-
formed for the welfare of mankind. But
strange contradiction of human nature 1 He
himself had never been able to make up his
mind to marry, although in other respects he

22 THE philosopher's martyrdom.

always lived up to his principles with a serious-
ness that was unexpected in an avowed hed-
onist.

Perhaps Mr* Agnosco had learned caution
by the unfortunate fate of his sister who had
married a jovial French nobleman, commonly
referred to as the Baron, who though poor,
was witty, amiable, and a periect gentleman,
with but one fault not uncommon in aristo-
cratic circles. He was a practical hedonist,
not for the greatest happiness of the greatest*
number, but for himself. Being wise and prov-
ident, and knowing that the future is uncer-
tain, he always preferred the present pleasure
to mere probabilities in the future, which un-
fortunately imparted to him an incurable habit
of dissipation.

Madame de Beauchamp's married life con-
sisted of a short honeymoon, and of a series
of subsequent quarrels on account of debts and
for several other causes, alternating with pleas-
ant scenes of reconciliation, based upon solemn
promises never to do it again, — always quickly
forgotten and broken. But all these troubles
were no longer considered, and only the bright
side of the past remembered when as a natural
result of the Baron's irregular life his health
became undermined, and after a short illness
he left his wife a disconsolate widow, hence-

AT HOME. 23

forth devoted exclusively to the education of
her child, little Adelaide.

Mademoiselle de Beauchamp was the perfect
image of her father, — a typical French beauty
with just a sprinkling of American tradition
to render her the more interesting and attract-
ive.

Miss Green, Mr. Agnosco's elder sister, was
a quiet unassuming spinster and a great reader
of spiritualistic literature. She was horrified
by modem psychology, — the psychology with-
out a soul, and was naturally very anxious to
have proofs of her immortality. She loved to
consult mediums and attend seances. Since
the evidences there received were always some-
what questionable, she remained open to con-
viction and was willing to acknowledge the
truth from whatever source it might come.

The great problem of after life was a favorite
topic of conversation with her sister, Madame
de Beauchamp. While Miss Green was an
enquirer, sometimes dejected by doubt and
sometimes elated by an optimistic conviction,
Madame de Beauchamp remained always un-
disturbed in her faith. She was an Episcopa-
lian, but without strong prejudices against
Catholicism, the avowed creed of her late hus-
band and also, according to a promise given at
her marriage, of her daughter Mademoiselle

24 THE philosopher's martyrdom.

Adelaide. The latter attended church regularly
which was to her an esthetic pleasure, but to
the great regret of her confessor, Father Je-
rome, she was otherwise religiously indifferent.

The evening was decidedly interesting on
account of the unusual variety of people that
met here on the common ground of Mr.
Agnosco's hospitality to different views. There
was Father Jerome, a Catholic clergyman, and
Mr. Dooper, of San Francisco, the renowned
American medium. Professor Le Clair gave
an air of scientific dignity to the gathering and
Monsieur Driest by his inexhaustible sarcasm,
made it lively for the conservative guests of the
party. The chief butt of his jokes was the
aged Father Jerome, and Mademoiselle de
Beauchamp seemed to enjoy these tilts, for the
father confessor was much too serious for her
frolicsome temper. She was wont to obey him,
however, because he assumed authority over
her; and womanlike she submitted, though
she did it grumblingly. Now there appeared
a man who dared her tyrant, and she looked
up to Monsieur Driest with admiration.

At first the cur6 was very patient and con-
fessed modestly that he himself had many
doubts and misgivings about the doctrines of
religion ; what kept him up, he added, was the
conviction that the kernel of his faith was gen-

k

AT HOME. 25

uine, for he felt it as a living power, and it
would be a miracle indeed, if it were all error,
mere fraud, or pure superstition. •

**One miracle more or less should make
little difference to you," jeered Monsieur
Driest, ' * but it would at least be a miracle that
happens now."

** Oh," replied Father Jerome, ''many Bib-
lical miracles are repeated constantly. The
miracle of Balaam happens even to-day."

** What do you mean by Balaam's miracle? "
inquired Monsieur Driest with a provoking
grin.

''That an ass talked," said the clergyman
almost in an undertone but sufl&ciently audible
to all bystanders, and turned slowly away.

Monsieur Driest clenched his fist and Made-
moiselle de Beauchamp turned purple ; she felt
as though she should come to the rescue of her
hero who had boldly attacked her tyrant.
"P^re Jerome," she exclaimed indignantly,
"I protest, I protest 1 "

"You are right, my dear," said the Father
calmly, and stood for a moment musing, "I
made a mistake. It is a bad blunder and you
have a right to protest. It was not an ass, it
was a she-ass." With these words he walked
away to a safe distance.

Mr. Agnosco poured oil on the troubled

26 THE philosopher's martyrdom.

waters by stating that jokes could not decide
important questions, especially as the opposed
parties presented merely subjective opinions
as to theories, the verification of which is ab-
solutely impossible.

* * The problem of miracles , as all other re-
ligious questions, lies beyond the pale of human
knowledge, and in this indubitable truth I
occupy a middle ground, which makes me
shake hands with the priest, and also with my
infidel friend Monsieur Driest. They quarrel
only because each oversteps his limits and mis-
takes his private belief for positive knowledge. * '

* * Excellent ; Excellent ; ' * applauded Mr.
Dooper, **Mr. Agnoscohas spoken well. Like
him, I neither affirm nor deny the occurrence
of miracles. But I investigate. All open-
minded people investigate, and I invite all
those who are open-minded to attend the seance
which I shall give next Sunday evening at my
rooms at the Hotel d'Angleterre. But I would
advise you to procure tickets in advance, for
we can accommodate only a limited number of
visitors.

k

THE SEANCE.

ABOUT thirty persons had been invited to
.Mr. Dooper's seance, and among them
were Miss Green, Mademoiselle de Beauchamp,
Monsieur Driest and Mr. Agnosco. They
were distributed in different comers according
to some occult arrangement devised by the
medium's wife, who acted as general manager.
It was noticeable that she conducted affairs
with circumspection, although to what pur-
pose was not evident. Mr. Agnosco was as-
signed a place between the seats of his two sis-
ters, and when Mrs. Dooper observed how
Mademoiselle de Beauchamp was flirting with
Monsieur Driest, she said with a smile: *'I
suppose the chain will be but the stronger if I
seat you together. ' ' She thought to herself
** Lovers are not counted dangerous, they are
too busy with themselves," and so Mademoi-
selle de Beauchamp and Monsieur Driest were
seated together near the chair of the medium.
When the circle was completed, Mr. Dooper

28 THE PHILOSOPHER'S MARTYRDOM.

entered in company with a venerable looking
old gentleman.

** Ah, Monsieur le Professeurl" exclaimed
Mrs. Dooper, '^ Vous donnez nous PhonneurP'^

Monsieur le Professeur bowed and proceeded
at once to make a little introductory speech in
good French, saying that it was scarcely ne-
cessary to introduce a man of Mr. Dooper's
fame, but he did it because he had been urged
to do so. He further descanted on Mr. Doop-
er' s occult powers. **Here,'' he exclaimed,
' * are phenomena that have awed the greatest
thinkers, and are sure to throw light on all the
problems of religion, science and philosophy,
— the problems of four dimensions, of curved
space, of telepathy, of spirit existence, of im-
mortality, and so forth. Indeed it is probable
that the key which will unlock to our aston-
ished minds all the riddles of life and the uni-
verse will ultimately be discovered here in the
mysterious realm of the human soul."

A warm applause greeted Mr. Dooper after
this introduction by.the venerable-looking gray
beard , when he stepped forth before the audience
with downcast eyes as if oppressed by the
praise that had been allotted him with such
great prodigality. He spoke French with a
decided American accent, and his modesty
made him stammer. He thanked his learned

THE SEANCE. 29

friend whose works on the mysteries of spirit-
ualism had established his well-deserved repu-
tation, but protested that Monsieur le Profes-
seur was mistaken in one point. ** I make no
claim,'' he said, *'to possess occult power. It
is true that I have witnessed and experienced
some strange phenomena when in a hyper-
sensible state, but I am convinced that every
man can do the same thing if he only develops
his psychic powers. I do not believe in mira-
cles, so called, but I do not doubt that many
strange things formerly considered as miracles
are in perfect accord with the psychic laws of
man's nature. I am not a philosopher, not a
scientist, I am simply a sensitive, and as such
I offer myself up for investigation."

Mr. Dooper concluded with some flattering
remarks to his audience which was exception-
ally distinguished, and then began with mak-
ing a few tests of his spiritualistic powers. He
addressed himself first to strangers, and told
some particular things out of their lives which
no one could know excepting themselves, and
his statements were always verified.

Suddenly he turned to one side and gazed
intently into the vacant space, as if he wanted
to make sure that he had no visions. ** I see
there an aristocratic figure of medium size,"
he said in a whisper, *' I can hear what he says.

30 THE philosopher's martyrdom.

He turns his face toward that lady in black
silk and exclaims, * Forgive me. If I were
still living I would prove to you that I love
you, I love you only. ' ' ' Madame de Beauchamp
was greatly moved, and Miss Green cast a
triumphant glance over to her brother, as if to
say, **Here, you infidel, is an unequivocal
evidence of the truth of spiritism 1 ' '

Now^a chain was formed by joining hands
and the lights were turned out. The medium sat
in the midst of the chain, his hands being held
by his neighbors.

For a time absolute silence prevailed, but
soon strains of music seemed to float in the air.
A guitar hovered over the heads of the audience,
and was played by unseen hands. The effect
was most wonderful.

Soon afterwards spirits materialized and then
a ray of light lit up parts of the room where
weird faces could be seen. Once there appeared
the face of Socrates, then an Oriental beauty,
perhaps Cleopatra ; then a young Greek hero,
possibly Alexander the Great. None of them
spoke.

After a pause of absolute quiet a match was
struck. A hand was visible without a body
but it withdrew at once into the surrounding
darkness, leaving a little lamp burning in the
center of the room. Over the lamp the expect-

THE SEANCE. 31

ant watchers beheld the dim outlines of a tripod,
from which a cloud of white fumes was rising ;
and there in the fumes were dancing tiny little
elves. The audience was breathless.

Suddenly the elves retired and in their stead
appeared the figure of a fine-looking gentleman,
" The baron 1 ' ' exclaimed Miss Green. * * My
husband 1 " shrieked Madame de Beauchamp,
who had been greatly agitated before by Mr.
Dooper^s vision. Now her excitement reached
the state of hysteria, and she began to cry
aloud, ** Come back, I will forget and forgive 1
Oh, come back to mel ^*

The scene became painful and her brother
Mr. Agnosco who sat next to her patted her
back and stroked her forehead, but before he
could speak a sonorous woman's voice began
to sing. It was Mrs. Dooper and her words
were distinctly pronounced so as to be quite
intelligible to all present. She was soon joined
by several persons in the audience to whom
the words as well as the melody were apparently
familiar. Even Mr. Agnosco felt the consola-
tion of the song which ran thus :

" There is a land so wondrous grand
So beautiful and fair.
It is the glorious spirit land,
And God's own home is there.

32 THE philosopher's MARTYRDOM.

''Oh how I yearn to see this land
My heavenly home above,
The spirit land, so wondrous grand,
The land of God and love.

''There our departed dead are found
Thence do their voices greet,
And thither also we are bound
And there we all shall meet. "

**I am all right again," said Madame de
Beauchamp, **Do not let me interrupt the
, stance! "

In the meantime the tripod had disappeared
and it was dark again. Then a dim streak of
light made visible a figure who had been prom-
ised before as the veiled prophet. The specter
glided noiselessly through the room, when sud-
denly Monsieur Driest broke away from the
chain, and with one bounce leaped upon the
mysterious apparition clutching it tightly with
both hands. The ghost struggled in vain to
free himself, and Mrs. Dooper cried: **Let go
sir, or you will regret your rashness as long as
you live."

But Monsieur Driest did not let go. He
shouted * * Turn on the light ! I want to see the
ghost by light. I am not afraid of spooks."

The lights were turned on and there was the
medium in a state of perfect collapse hanging
helplessly in Monsieur Driest's arms.

THE SEANCE. 33

Mrs. Dooper rushed to the place and began
to scold: **How dare you disturb the stance?
You impudent villain 1 "

* * Impudent villain indeed ! ' ' sneered Mon-
sieur Driest, ** Please bear in mind that all the
impudence is on your side. How dare you to
impose upon us, — ^you and Mr. Dooper and all
your accomplices. I have exposed you and
you ought to be handed over to the police as
frauds."

With these words Monsieur Driest let go
Mr. Dooper, who fell to the floor in either a
real or a pretended swoon. His wife bent over
him whith anxious solicitude and was hiding
something in her bosom. Monsieur Driest
claimed afterwards that it had been a mask.

Mr. Dooper was covered with a white veil,
and was without shoes. He was trembling
with wrath but he kept himself well under
control.

* * Playing the ghost dressed up like that ! ' '
said Monsieur Driest without compassion.

Finally the medium opened his eyes in a
vacant stare and wiping the perspiration from
his forehead, asked in a hollow voice ** Where
ami?"

His wife was kneeling by his side and all
others stood around in silence. *' Where am
I?" he repeated, **I have been in a trance.

34 THE philosopher's MARTYRDOM.

The last I remember is that I sat on that chair
yonder, when I felt the spirits come. Then I
felt a jerk as if the veiled prophet wrenched
my body from ofif Iny soul and forced me into
the grip of that man there, — an awful man, a
meddlesome man, an atheist.''

Turning to Mrs. Dooper he continued in
appealing tone, ** You know, my dear, what
spirits do when an impious mortal attempts to
lay hold upon them. They cannot be seized
by earthly hands but are compelled to substi-
tute the medium by whose power they have
been conjured up to hold communication with
spirits of the living. Of course I must needs
be found in the young man's clutches when
he tried to soil the garments of the spirits with
his desecrating touch."

* * Yes ! That is the way the spirits do 1 " said
Miss Green who was still trembling with ex-
citement, but regained quickly her self-assur-
ance. ** Ghosts can not be caught. They al-
ways substitute the medium. That is exactly
what we ought to expect ! ' '

When Monsieur Driest saw a great number
of the faces of the audience nod assent, he
looked quite sheepish. He thought he exposed
the medium and rendered all belief in spirits
forever ridiculous, but instead the very wit-
nesses of **theexpos6" remained as staunch

THE SEANCE. 35

in tbeir belief as ever. He turned to Mr. Ag-
nosco in indignation quoting Schiller's famous
line I

''Against stupidity even God will fight in vain."

Mrs. Dooper shrugged her shoulders con-
temptuously saying: **Mr. Dooper is fully
vindicated,'* while Mr. Agnosco added, ** I will
say this much, that the mysteries of occultism
ai'e beyond the comprehension of man.''

ADJOURNED SINE DIE.

PUBLIC interest in philosophical questions
seemed to be on the increase, and the room
of the club meetings had been transferred to a
large hall. The sessions were always lively and
sometimes the discussions were very heated.
The quiet members who abstained from taking
an active part in the debates always had a good
time, for it was interesting to watch the on-
slaught by Monsieur Chevalier and Professor
Le Clair against the agnostic position which
was victoriously defended by Mr. Agnosco and
Monsieur Driest.

Mr. Agnosco was at first quite pleased with
Monsieur Driest who always approached him
as a docile apostle, but he began to take a dis-
like to him on account of the attention he be-
stowed on his ward Mademoiselle Beauchamp.
The case had grown more aggravating, because
she did not let an opportunity slip to encourage
her suitor and to show at the same time her
resentment of her uncle's apparent reluctance

ADJOURNED SINE DIE. 37

to give his consent to the young man's atten-
tions.

Monsieur Driest used to accompany Mr.
Agnosco to the meetings of the Philosophers'
Club, and finally ventured to ask him for the
hand of Mademoiselle Adelaide. Mr. Agnosco
answered that the two were apparently not well
matched, and that a marriage would not be
conducive to the general happiness of the par-
ties concerned.

Monsieur Driest, always ready with an an-
swer, claimed that he himself and Mademoi-
selle, were the parties most concerned in this
alliance, and they ought to know best what
kind of happiness they wanted. Though they
were quite willing to recognize her uncle's
authority as guardian, he in his turn as an
agnostic, should not impose his views of happi-
ness on others.

Mr. Agnosco hesitated to acknowledge the
force of Monsieur Driest' s argument but showed
his willingness to reconsider his decision.

In the meantime they had arrived at the hall
of the Philosophers' Club, and Mr. Agnosco
called the meeting to order, which by an un-
toward fate was to be the last one ; and it was
memorable for the many quips and tilts on
both sides.

The subject of the meeting was * * The Limi-

38 THE philosopher's martyrdom.

tations of Science ' ' and Mr. Agnosco proved
plainly and without fear of contradiction that
man was a limited being, and therefore the
range of his knowledge must be limited. The
more the light of science spreads, the more it
reveals the absolute darkness by which we are
surrounded.

Monsieur Chevalier on the other hand ex-
plained the nature of knowledge to be based
upon the tendency of our rational faculty to in-
terpret a particular case as an instance of a
universal law, and so the chemist not only
knows how the elements act and react in his
retort, but how they behave elsewhere, how
they have behaved at the time of the formation
of our solar system, and how they will behave
ever afterwards.

** Do you mean to say,'' asked Mr. Agnosco,
* * that man may be able to become omniscient ? ' '

**No, not at all," replied Monsieur Cheva-
lier, * * but in deciphering the facts of experience
we become acquainted, not merely with isolated
items, but with examples of universal laws
which reveal to us the constitution of the uni-
verse."

Monsieur Driest came to Mr. Agnosco's
rescue. **Even physicists," he said, **are
agreed that our senses are limited. We can
hear sounds only within certain limits of pitch

ADJOURNED SINE DIE. 39

and we can see only such rays as possess def-
inite qualities. To impressions to which our
senses are not adapted we are deaf and blind.*'

**Oh, but,'' objected Professor Le Clair,
** though the fact is true, the conclusion drawn
from it is wrong. We do not hear sounds that
are too low or too high, and we do not see the
chemical rays of light ; but while the senses
are limited, man's mind is unlimited. How
is it that we know anything about them at all?
The answer is simple. Physicists invent in-
struments which register sound waves of any
description, and we make sensitive plates ex-
hibiting the traces of those chemical rays which
our eyes do not perceive. Mr. Auguste Comte
who advocated this same principle of agnosti-
cism of the limitations of science chose as an
instance that man could never know what the
sun consisted of. He deemed his argument
irrefutable because he was sure that no chemist
could walk over to the sun and put a piece of
it in his retort. But in the meantime Bunsen
and Kirchhoff invented the spectrum analysis
which analyzes the chemical elements in the
light that they emit, and so his argument has
been upset."

* * Though science may unravel many things , ' '
cried Monsieur Driest who wanted to make
himself useful to Mr. Agnosco, * * there are some

40 THE philosopher's MARTYRDOM.

problems which will forever remain unsolvable.
For instance, — ^how the world originated, why
it exists, and why in place of existence there
is not non-existence? **

* * Certainly, ' * retorted the Professor. ' ' But
you will observe that all these problems have
no sense; they are not legitimate problems.
All legitimate problems can be answered. I
do not say that they can be answered now,
for with our present stock of knowledge we
may not be able to answer them. Nor do I
say that we shall ever be able to exhaust all
the riddles that life offers us to solve. But I
say that if there is a question that is per se
unanswerable, or a problem that is intrinsically
unsolvable, it is illegitimate. Knowledge is a
description of facts, and facts are the data of
our sense-impressions. The work of science
consists in the methodical arrangement of our
data so as to enable us to comprehend why
they are different under different conditions.
Thus we anticipate the course of events and
learn to adapt ourselves to suit our conveni-
ence. All the legitimate problems have ulti-
mately a practical purpose, but now you come
and ask why are there facts at all. That ques-
tion is as illegitimate as if I would ask you
why IS a circle not a square? ''

Here a difference of opinion arose between

ADJOURNED SINE DIE. 41

Monsieur Chevalier and the Professor as to the
significance of the illegitimate or unsolvable
problem.

* ' It seems that we all agree better than Pro-
fessor Le Clair and his friends imagine,'' said
Mr. Agnosco, **forhemust concede that the
problems of infinity and particularity, of God
and soul, of immortality, of the purpose of
existence, the origin of life, the nature of mat-
ter, of space, of time, and so forth and so forth,
are all illegitimate because unsolvable, and so
we might as well bury all our differences and
make a fraternal covenant for the actualization
of the hedonistic principles of agnosticism,
which means, in other words, to pledge our-
selves always to live for the greatest happiness
of the greatest number."

While thus Mr. Agnosco tried to make peace
between the contending parties, a messenger
brought a dispatch addressed to M. Green,
member of the Chamber of Deputies, which
summoned him at once to an extra session of
his party. There had been, in these days, a
great political excitement. Rumors of war
disturbed the public mind, and it seemed as if
the government planned great enterprises for
the aggrandizement and promotion of the coun-
try's good. Mr. Agnosco had always opposed
all government measures, and at present he

42 THE philosopher's MARTYRDOM.

was also opposed to the imperial policy. He
belonged to the party that desired peace ; so,
when he received the dispatch, he was anxious
to go, in order to make his influence felt among
his friends.

The Philosophers' Club adjourned sine die^
all members being too much agitated by the
political news to continue their abstract dis-
cussion. It seemed as if they were now to
find a great occasion for practically applying
the ethical principles of their philosophy to
real life. They left the hall thrilled with the
desire to live for the greatest good of the great-
est number.

*%

THE GREATEST NUMBER.

MR. Agnosco hastened to the meeting of
his party. It was only a few blocks dis-
tatn, but it took him more than half an hour
to reach the place. The boulevards which he
had to cross were filled with long processions
of people bearing lanterns, flags and festoons.
While he was waiting for a chance to slip
through their files to the other side of the street,
he stopped to read some of the inscriptions:
"Down with the enemy V'A BerlinP' "The
people want war ! *' and other exciting mottoes.
When he reached the hall where his party met,
he found his friends possessed of the same
spirit. It seemed as if the whole nation had
been intoxicated with plans of conquest, martial
renown, and the spirit of revenge for some un-
known offences.

"My friends,*' Mr. Agnosco exclaimed, as
soon as he reached the platform, "do not be
carried away by this passion of excitement in-
stigated by an imperial usurper for the sole
purpose of strengthening his throne. Consider

44 THE philosopher's MARTYRDOM.

how terrible a thing war is. Imagine the hor-
rors of a battle-field, the agonies of the dying,
the sufferings of the wounded, the sorrows of
widows and orphans. Can you wish for war
which inflicts so much pain, and has no equiv-
alent of pleasure? ''

Mr. Agnosco was roughly interrupted by his
friends. One of them rose and shouted with
a stern voice, ** I wonder, my friend, that you
have so little sympathy with the most power-
ful impulse which thrills through our souls.
Do you not care for the glory and aggrandize-
ment of our country? What is all the suffering
you speak of in comparison to the happiness
of the nation? The pain will pass away, but the
glory remains. Yes, more than this, there is
an unspeakable pleasure in dying as a hero on
the battle-field for one's country ! If you weigh
pleasure against pain, the balance is greatly
in favor of undertaking this most glorious war
Who would be so chicken-hearted as to shrink
from sacrificing his life for the greatness of his
country, and for the happiness of the grandest
of all nations? Our party stands on this prin-
ciple ; let the people rule. If we oppose the
will of the people, we shall lose all our in-
fluence, and our political enemies will point at
us as unpatriotic citizens: while our armies
conquer our adversaries, the liberal party will

THE GREATEST NUMBER. 45

be pilloried as having antagonized the public
welfare and the glory of our country. Let us
not oppose the people's will. The people de-
sire war; let them have it. Let our nation
march on at the head of civilization, to rule
Europe, and through Europe, the whole world. ' '

The people wanted war, and they had war.
Mr. Agnosco's opposition was lost in the gen-
eral excitement, but he was soon satisfied with
the course of events when he convinced him-
self that the majority of the nation preferred
the pleasures of war to the pleasures of peace,
and was willing to bear the disasters which a
war might bring. It is true that the declara-
tion of war was made on a mere pretense. The
occasion was almost too slight for a mere quar-
rel, but the people dreamed of great victories,
extensive conquests and rich spoils. Every-
body expected a surplus of happiness as the
ultimate result, so Mr. Agnosco, too, finally
joined the war party.

The enthusiasm did not last long, for the
disappointments came quicker than anybody
anticipated. Defeats took the place of victories
and the situation became desperate.

The Philosophers' Club met no more. When
the members saw one another in the streets,
they talked politics instead of philosophy.

46 THE philosopher's martyrdom.

Only once was Mr. Agnosco reminded of his
ethical principle. Monsieur Chevalier stopped
him in the street and asked him of what use
had been to him his maxim that all actions
should bring about the greatest happiness of
the greatest number.

Mr. Agnosco replied, * * It came about exactly
as I presaged. There are no pleasures in war ;
nothing but pain. Those who conjured up the
spirit of war made gross miscalculations.''

Monsieur Chevalier replied, in a sarcastic
tone, **I doubt very much whether, according
to your principle, the action of the emperor
and our representatives in parliament is not
perfectly justified. There are pains enough in
war, and it is we who have to endure them.
But there are also pleasures in war, and it is
our enemies who enjoy them. But then, our
enemies constitute the majority, and if the
happiness of the greatest number is the aim of
your actions, you ought to be satisfied with
the outcome of the war. If I were in your
place, I would thank fate that thus it aliofwed
you to remain a moral being. Think how im-
moral it would have been if our nation, con-
stituting the minority, had derived a greater
happiness from this ominous war than our ene-
mies!"

*'My dear friend," replied Mr. Agnosco,

THE GREATEST NUMBER. 47

**you are a scoffer, but there is more truth in
your words than you might be willing to con-
cede. The principle is quite correct, and if a
greater happiness of a greater number can be
brought about by our sufferings, we suffer
justly.''

Monsieur Chevalier shook his head. **I
have a different opinion. The happiness prin-
ciple in ethics is a very good thing for those
that are happy. It works well in prosperity,
but it ceases to be of any value in the time of
trials and misfortunes. It is a very poor com-
fort for those whose fate condemns them to be
counted among the unhappy, even though they
may constitute the minority."

Mr. Agnosco had no time for further argu-
ment. He was too busy. ** Those who have
to suffer in order that the greatest happiness
shall be enjoyed by the greatest number ought
to do so with resignation and in perfect content-
ment,'' he said with dignity and hurried away.

There is nothing so evil but it has a good
side. The misfortunes of war brought deliver-
ance from tyranny. The emperor was de-
throned, and the country was declared a re-
public. It was now the turn of the liberal
party to regulate the affairs of the nation. It
was a great opportunity for Mr. Agnosco, but
he was more disappointed in his hopes than

48 THE philosopher's martyrdom.

before. The avalanche once started is not
easily stopped, and one revolution may be fol-
lowed by another. So the proclamation of the
republic was superseded by the declaration of
a socialistic constitution for the nation. And
this second revolutionary movement came so
unexpectedly and the republicans who had just
come into power were so little prepared for it
that the capital was at once in the hands of the
socialists.

Mr. Agnosco being the leader of the repub-
lican party, was arrested. A mob of ragged
men led him before a tribunal of the new city
government and clamorously demanded the
punishment of a man who had done his best
to prevent a rising of the masses to take their
share of the common prosperity.

Mr. Agnosco protested against their accusa-
tion. He declared that he had devoted his life
to bringing about the greatest happiness of the
greatest number, and did not see any offence
in his aspirations.

The chief judge — a man whose real name
was unknown even to his nearest friends, for
they generally called him Dynamite Jim, be-
cause he had proposed to blow up all govern-
ment buildings with dynamite — said to Mr.
Agnosco, * * You seem to be a sensible man, and
that may save your life. I am glad to see that

THE GREATEST NUMBER. 49

we agree in principles. You are known as a
rich man. You have grown wealthy by robbing
the poor. It will be but just to give up your
possessions for the benefit of those whom you
have despoiled. We shall forgive you your
former trespasses committed in withholding for
your own benefit that which might have made
many thousands happy. We will spare your
life on the condition that you swear to leave
this country and nevermore to return. Your
property shall be duly used for the great cause
to which you have devoted your life. Instead
of serving to promote the happiness of one, we
shall use it to promote the happiness of many . ' '

There was no other chance of escape for Mr.
Agnosco than to accept the proposition of
Dynamite Jim. He swore to give up his prop-
erty and to leave the country.

His views concerning the happiness of the
greatest number were different from the views
of the ragged crowd that surrounded him, but
the mob constituted the majority, and they
certainly must know what kind of happiness
suited them best. When he left for Havre with
the small sum that had been granted him by
Dynamite Jim and his friends, he carried along
with him at least one comfort : His misfortunes
were more than overbalanced by the pleasures
which others derived from his loss.

THE TEMPTATION.

ACCOMPANIED by two commissioners of
Lthe Commune Mr. Agnosco was going to
leave Paris on the Gar du Nord, when he was
greeted by Professor Le Clair who had come, so
he said, to bid his old friend good-bye. They sat
down in the restaurant and the commissioners
joined them in a glass of wine. After a while
Monsieur Driest dropped in, too, as by accident
and while he engaged the commissioners in a
discussion of socialist principles now on the
verge of realization in Paris, the Professor
whispered to Mr. Agnosco, **We have pre-
pared everything for your escape. You have
simply to absent yourself for a moment and
leave the station by the south entrance. Jump
into the cab that is waiting for you at the res-
taurant on the opposite comer.'*

**How shall I recognize the cab?'* asked
Mr. Agnosco.

The driver wears a red ribbon on his hat and
the number is 2317,*' said Professor Le Clair.
' ^ He will take you to a safe place in the coun-

^

THE TEMPTATION . 5 1

try, where you can hide till the communistic
regime has been overthrown. The days of its
power are numbered. Meanwhile you may
peacefully philosophize in the solitude of a
garden home about the unknowable and the
widest generalizations of religious truth. '*

Mr. Agnosco frowned. **Do you mean to
say that I should change my conviction which
is so well grounded? *^

** I doubt that it is well grounded,'' retorted
Le Clair, ** Your unknowable is a bugbear of
your own making."

* * Oh 1 ' ' interrupted the agnostic philoso-
pher, but the Professor continued : * * What I
see and touch and observe I can describe, so
as to recognize it when I meet it again. Knowl-
edge is description, and comprehension is
nothing but pigeon-holing a fact together with
that set of facts to which it belongs."

Mr. Agnosco's eyes lit up. He forgot the
urgent demand of the moment for the sake of
argument. ** Look here," he said, ** All cog-
nition is subsumption under a wider generali-
zation ; pigeon-holing you call it. Very well 1
The widest generalization can not be subsumed
under a still wider one, erg^o it is incompre-
hensible."

** My dear friend," urged the Professor, **the
widest generalizations contain those traits of

52 THE philosopher's MARTYRDOM.

reality that are most general, and therefore
most common, and therefore best known. It
is true that on account of their very simplicity
they exhibit certain problems more patently
than less general concepts. Therefore agnos-
tics are mystified by them more than by other
terms. But leave all argument alone and think
of your safety. Be off, before the commis-
sioners suspect our plan.'*

Mr. Agnosco was about to rise when a look
from one of the representatives of the commune
made him hesitate. At the same time he fell
to musing and said pensively: **Is it right
for me to flee? Would it not be better to live
up to the moral maxim that has become the
ideal of my life?''

* * Will you patiently submit to the mandate
of a mob authority? " hissed the Professor in
his ear.

* * Think of the greatest happiness for the
greatest number I ' ' replied Mr. Agnosco pa-
thetically.

Professor Le Clair ejaculated some indistinct
syllables on the greatest number of villians.
* * What do I care for the greatest number of
anything; I will not be guided by numbers.
Let us submit to the best, the wisest, the no-
blest, not to the rabble, even if it be the ma-
jority. I believe in quality, not in quantity."

THE TEMPTATION . 5 3

** You are an aristocrat, a royalist, a reac-
tionary, a legitimatist, a Bourbon, perhaps an
Imperialist, but no republican! " shouted the
zealous philosopher.

The Professor's temper began to be roused
too. **I am a republican," he retorted, **a
better republican than you are, but in my ideal
republic law would rule supreme, not a major-
ity. Majorities are good enough to elect magis-
trates and representatives to decide on the
adoption of laws, — ^but laws should apply to
all alike without discrimination, without favor
and without spite. There should be no laws
that make exceptions. Minorities have rights
too. A republic that does not respect the rights
of minorities, is the worst possible state im-
aginable. Remember that wisdom rarely takes
its abode with the masses. But let us post-
pone our arguments to a more seasonable hour.
Think of your safety ! ' '

** Think of my safety?" queried Mr. Ag-
nosco; and his voice assumed a heroic tone,
* * What did Socrates do when a mistaken ma-
jority vote had condemned him to death? He
deemed it his duty to stay; he scorned the
thought of flight ! Do not lead me into temp-
tation. I will go where duty calls 1 "

With these words Mr. Agnosco turned to the
commissioners, whose heads began to be heavy.

54 THE philosopher's martyrdom.

and reminded them of their duty not to miss
the train. There was pathetic dignity in the
philosopher's attitude, and when the three
mounted the train that carried them to Havre
de Gras, he looked like a man that was con-
scious of having won a victory.

** You see, Monsieur Driest,'' said the Pro-
fessor when they returned home together on
the top of an omnibus, ** The end of an action
need not be the greatest amount of pleasure
and the least amount of pain expected thereby.
I grant that this theory which you upheld some
time ago, holds good for average cases, but the
fact is undeniable that the sense of duty, irre-
spective of pleasure and pain, is an efi&cient
factor in the complicated mechanism of the
will."

Monsieur Driest groaned. **It is only a
peculiar kind of pleasure to live up to one's
principles. People attend to their duty be-
cause it makes them feel happy to think they
are virtuous."

* * Well 1 You may put it that way , ' ' said the
Professor, **but then you must grant that
there are ideas which cause people to change
their ordinary views of desirability, call it
happiness, or pleasure, or duty. And this
being granted you will understand that the
most important element in a motive is not

THE TEMPTATION. 55

feeling, but the thought behind it. Ideas are
directive elements which give character to feel-
ing. Errors in energetic persons may lead to
most lamentable actions, and the most super-
stitious, yea even criminal acts, may subject-
ively be moral. Jephthah sacrificed his daughter
as a burnt offering to Jehovah, not because it
extended to him hope of some future happiness,
but because he believed that Jehovah required
it of him. Kitrg Manasseh made his children
pass through the fire, and we may be sure that
he loved them. The Grand Inquisitor con-
demned many heretics to the most dreadful
torture because his conception of God required
it so. Giordano Bruno, rather than recant his
philosophy, allowed himself to be burned
alive."

* * They must have expected a great reward
in heaven," retorted Monsieur Driest, *'it
would be unnatural for any being to act other-
wise than seeking pleasure or avoiding pain."

"My dear young friend," replied the Pro-
fessor, "you judge the world from the data of
your own experience. Because most of the
conscious acts of your own life are determined
by the principle of seeking pleasure or avoid-
ing pain, you think all actions are such. It
is a wrong generalization. A fighting cock
fights at the sight of his rival, even if he is

56 THE philosopher's martyrdom.

sure to be defeated without any ulterior thought
of pleasure or pain. The fighting impulse is
in him, and he fights when sufi&ciently insti«
gated. These motor ideas are like wound-up
springs which work according to their nature
when the proper button is pushed. It is true
that men will always be influenced by a crav-
ing for pleasure and a fear of pain, but pleasure
and pain are not the sole motives that sway
man's mind."

After a short pause, while Monsieur Driest
was still pondering these arguments, the Pro-
fessor added, ^ ^ He is a weakling; who is guided
by a consideration of pleasure and pain alone I
A man of character is willing to bear sacrifices
for his ideals. This is not a question of theory
but a mere statement of fact ; and," added he,
^ ^ this is the reason that it is so important that
we have the right kind of ideas, the right kind
of religion, the right kind of philosophy. I
have a great respect for Mr. Agnosco. He
has a noble heart, but he sacrifices himself for
a will-o'the-wisp."

Monsieur Driest had always been a foe of
religion in any form, so he objected to Profes-
sor Le Clair's mentioning religion and philos-
ophy in one breath as if they were the same
in kind and similar ; but the Professor, though
himself a libre penseur insisted that such was

k

THE TEMPTATION . 5 7

the case, for every religion as well as every
philosophy is a world-conception, the leading
ideas of which determine our actions. Relig-
ions are popular philosophies and religious
truths are mostly stated in allegories, some-
times in myths, or in dogmatic symbols. It
is difficult to avoid symbolism even in science
and philosophy. Religions are approximations
to truth. The history of religion is an inter-
esting chapter in the gradual advance of civil-
ization, for religion reflects the world-concep-
tion of the average mind, practically applied
to moral conduct.

* * What a queer man you are I ' ' replied
Monsieur Driest, ** Sometimes you are so rad-
ical in your views, and then again you would
furnish an excuse for, or even a defense of
such a fraud as religion.'*

The omnibus had reached the Place de la
Madeleine^ and the two men separated. The
Professor went to his study while Monsieur
Driest loitered along the Boulevards, and
finally bent his way to his favorite resort, the
Moulin Rouge.

FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS.

WHILE passing through some narrow
street, he entered the second class res-
taurant to take some refreshments and there
he joined two young fellows in a debate on
socialism. He loved to preach his doctrines
to others and usually did so with success, but
this time he had reason to regret it, for some
ruffians who had listened to his talk suspected
him of being a German spy, on account of his
foreign accent. He tried in vain to tell them
who he was and that he had devoted his life to
the emancipation of the downtrodden classes.
His assailants would listen to no arguments
and answered him with blows.

Monsieur Driest had frequently denounced
the authorities for interfering with the people ;
he often claimed that no government was
needed for keeping order in society, and now
he actually shouted for the police. But in
vain ; no officer was near to rescue him from
the hands of the mob. Finally he made a bold
dash for liberty and broke through the circle

FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS. 59

of his Opponents. Being hotly pursued, he
ran for his life, and gained indeed a little head-
way. On turning a street comer, he succeeded
in hiding unobserved in a little church the
doors of which were just being shut at the very
moment he reached the place.

All was the work of a moment. The fugitive
entered, the janitor bolted the door and the
mob swept past the church howling for the
German spy who had disappeared as if spirited
away by magic.

The curd of the church together with a
brother clergyman happened to stand near the
entrance, and both understood at once the
situation. The latter was Father Jerome. He
at once recognized Monsieur Driest and intro-
duced him to the cur6 who was at first some-
what shocked, for Monsieur Driest was well
known as a public speaker, perhaps better as
a demagogue, to use the term which conserva-
tive people applied to him, and also a contribu-
tor to the anti -religious press. There stood
the fanatical friend of the downtrodden masses
terrified by the mob and pleading for protection.
The cur6 then took this outspoken enemy of
the Church to the parsonage and Father Jerome
washed his wounds: **Who would have
thought,'' said the good Samaritan, **that

60 THE philosopher's MARTYRDOM.

Monsieur Driest would ever in his life seek ref-
uge in a churcli I ' '

It was time for lunch and the cur6 invited
his two guests to share his frugal cheer. There
they sat, these three unequal men : the host, a
simple-minded believer in all the doctrines of
his Church; Father Jerome, an educated man
who in spite of his doubts preserved his alle-
giance to the Church on account of his respect
for tradition; and the infidel agnostic and
scoffer.

In response to some jokes of the two clergy-
men. Monsieur Driest set forth his philosoph-
ical view that we could neither aflGlrm nor deny
anything relating to the chief problems of re-
ligion, to which quite unexpectedly to Mon-
sieur Driest both priests uni sono consented,
only they applied the doctrine in the opposite
way.

**L/Ook here,'' said the cur6, **I have seen
a good deal of life and I know that man can
not comprehend the world, nor its Maker, nor
his own being , nor even his purpose in life and
his fate after death. There is no man on earth
who will ever find out anything about it. Now
there is this powerful institution, the Church ;
it is an answer for every question, it tells me
what to do, its teachings give millions of souls
comfort, its saints have performed miracles."

FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS. 61

**Yes, miracles," repeated the cur6 when
he saw a sarcastic curl on the lips of Monsieur
Driest. ** I believe in miracles. It is easier
to believe in miracles than in all the contra-
dictory nonsense of science, that moUusks
change into quadrupeds and monkeys into men,
or what not. Science is the biggest humbug
the world has ever seen, and all the esprits
forts bow down before this Moloch of modem
paganism in idolatrous worship. Laugh at
me as you please, but you confess yourself
that no one knows, that no one can ever
know. I will tell you why, because the world
is full of miracles and you can not comprehend
miracles. This is a practical philosophy based
upon the facts of experience. So far as I am
concerned no one can refute me on my own
grounds.''

Not knowing how to contradict. Monsieur
Driest made no reply ; the ostentatious asser-
tiveness to which he was ordinarily addicted
had received a damper through the awkward
situation that forced him to accept the hospi-
tality of his antagonist, and Father Jerome
said: **I should not have thought that you
two would agree so well. Your practical phi-
losophy or pragmaticism as it might be called,
is nothing but agnosticism turned back."

** Surely," assented the cur6, **the agnos-

62 THE philosopher's MARTYRDOM.

tics have made the glove that fits my hand, but
the glove must be reversed before I can use it.
I am not a thinker, I am a man of common
sense. I am not yet ' sicklied o'er with the
pale cast of thought.' I am too healthy for
that. You know the fall of man is due to his
eating of the tree of knowledge. Thinking is
the original sin, and science is the height of
human vanity. Man wants to be like God,
knowing what is good and evil. I tell you
man can not know everything, but can obey
and he ought to obey. Man can do his duty.
I did not know what to make .of the pretenses
of science, but now agnosticism comes to my
assistance and proclaims the bankruptcy of
science. I accept agnosticism as an assured
truth, and upon this rock I build my prag-
matic philosophy."

Father Jerome shook his head but said noth-
ing. He did not agree with the cur6, yet he
did not want to come to the assistance of Mon-
sieur Driest.

Monsieur Driest left the parsonage in a
puzzled state of mind. He believed in egotism
and would justify the extremest claims of ego-
tism, but here his egotism had failed somehow
and he did not know what to make of it. The
more he thought of it, however, the more he
became confirmed that all the kindness he had

FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS. 63

just received was mere hypocrisy. '* There
are no white ravens," he murmured between
his teeth, ** and if there are, they are the ex-
ceptions which prove the rule.''

That same afternoon he and Mademoiselle
Beauchamp went to a magistrate in the Palais
de Ville to be duly married. During the trial
of her uncle, she had, with the assistance of
her mother and aunt, cleverly taken possession
of the greatest part of his bonds and other in-
vestments, and had them deposited in a bank
in Brussels. After Mr. Green's departure
they had at once divided the spoil evenly
among themselves, which left to each one a
fair competence to live on.

Monsieur Driest was exultant with joy when
he was seated by his pretty bride in the even-
ing train bound for Brussels : * * My dear, ' ' he
said, ** I am proud of having gained your love.
I hope you will show me your confidence by
letting me take charge of those papers which
you have procured from the safe of your un-
fortunate uncle."

Madame Driest looked at her husband in
astonishment and not without anxiety due to
fear of a difficulty which she had not antici-
pated. At last she said: ** Please do not
trouble me with business affairs, — not now, —
at least not now 1 ' ' She thought of all the

64 THE philosopher's martyrdom.

misery of her mother's married life and the
thought flashed up in her soul with a sudden
power ; * * Oh what a fool I have made of my-
self 1 " It would have been a relief to her if
she could have shouted these words aloud, but
she shut her mouth and laid her hand over her
eyes to prevent her husband from reading her
mind.

Monsieur Driest looked at his bride search-
ingly as he thought to himself : * ' If I do not
come in possession of your fortune, Madame,
I may regret that I ever married you I **

The train started and Madame Driest heaved
a deep sigh. She foresaw troubles which she
had not dreamed of before, but she was deter-
mined not to yield, even if the final outcome
would be a divorce 1

FAITHFUL TO THE END.

THE steamer * * Plaisir ' ' on which Mr. Ag-
nosco sailed was bound for some far off
country in the southern seas. But she never
reached her destination. During the voyage
the ship was struck by a terrible hurricane.
She foundered not far from an island, and all
the passengers except Mr. Agnosco were
drowned almost in sight of land. He alone
was fortunate enough to swim to shore. But,
alas I the island on which he had been lucky
enough to save his life was inhabited by can-
nibals. They captured him and put him in a
cage to be fattened for their greatest annual
festival which they called ** Thanksgiving
Day.'^

The cannibals of the island were unusually
polite and civilized, and Mr. Agnosco had
leisure enough to learn their language. He
attempted to convert them to his philosophy,
but great was his astonishment when he found
that they agreed perfectly. They also believed
in the greatest happiness of the greatest num-

66 THE philosopher's martyrdom.

ber, and their High Priest took much trouble
in explaining to him his situation. * * It is a
maxim of ours," he said, **to slaughter all
white men who happen to be cast ashore.
Their life among us, if we suffer them to live,
would be only a series of unendurable annoy-
ances to themselves and also to us. Accord-
ingly it is better for them to die than to live
and have a surplus of pains over pleasures. A
man has to die anyhow, and he will have an
easier death if he is slaughtered at the butcher's
than if he die piecemeal on a sick-bed. And
if he is dead, I can assure you that there is no
pain in being eaten, while the pleasure of eat-
ing is indubitable.

**You of course deny," he added, ''that
there is any pleasure in eating human flesh.
But that is only your one-sided view of the
subject. I understand perfectly that you, in
the predicament in which you are at present,
are prejudiced against our institutions. But
you will readily grant that we must understand
better what gives us pleasure, than you do.
We cannot make you the judge of what our
happiness should be."

Mr. Agnosco was sensible enough to under-
stand that any remonstrance was in vain ; nor
would it have been a fair demand on his part
to let his own views of happiness be the crite-

FAITHFUL TO THE END. 67

rion of the happiness of others. Everybody
must know best what gives him pleasure.

There were hours when he began to doubt
his philosophy and its ethics of the greatest
happiness for the greatest number, but he put
his doubts down manfully. The theory of nes-
cience had left him adrift in life, and he had
been victimized again and again by the great-
est numbers. Nevertheless he could not have
been mistaken. Agnosticism is recognized as
the most advanced thought of the age in both
Europe and America and so, argued he, **I
am but a martyr of philosophy."

When Thanksgiving Day came he ended
his life with perfect contentment, for he was
conscious that he had lived up to the principles
of his ethical maxim. He had contributed all
he could to increase the greatest happiness of
the greatest number, and he died a martyr to
his convictions.

No tombstone marks the place of his last
abode. But the people of the cannibal island
keep his memory green. They still praise the
tenderness of the white man who furnished
them with the daintiest — at least in their opin-
ion, daintiest — ^Thanksgiving meal they ever
enjoyed.